Conrad schroeder



{No Model.)

0. SGHROED-ER.

HARNESS PAD.

No. 497,255. Patented May-9, 1893.

00 00 oo Soooo UNrTno STATES PATENT Danton.

CONRAD SCHROEDER, OF MILWVAUKEE, VVISOONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FERDINAND AOHTENI-IAGEN, OF SAME PLACE.

HARNESS-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 497,255, dated May 9, 1893.

Application filed January 30, 1892. Serial No. 419,796- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CONRAD SCHROEDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness- Pads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in harness pads, and consists in the matters hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

The object of my said invention is to provide an elastic pad for harnesses, of such construction that a series of bearing points or surfaces are provided upon the inner side of the pad, said bearing points or surfaces being located at a sufficient distance apart to permit of a free circulation of air between the same, so as to prevent irritation of the skin of the horse.

The several features of my invention will be more fully hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1. is a front elevation of a harness pad constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing portions broken away on line 1-1, of Fig. 2. Fig. 2. is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3. is a vertical cross section of the same taken on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a rear elevation of one of the parts. 'Fig. 5. is a plan View of one of the blanks for forming one of the holding devices for securing the elastic portions to the support or backing. Fig. 6. is a detail elevation of a portion of a pad illustrating a somewhat different form of construction.

In said draWings:-A represents a suitable supporting strip or backing of leather or other suitable material, provided with attaching devices B B for securing it to the saddle or other portion of the harness to which it is desired to apply the pad, and O O a series of cylindrical bearing pieces of rubber or other suitable elastic material, secured to the inner side of said backing and adapted to rest in contact with the body of the horse. These bearing pieces 0 O are preferably made of tubular form as shown in the drawings, and are engaged with the backing or support A preferably by means of holding plates D D, which are made of substantially semi-cylindrical form, and into which the said pieces 0 C are slipped and held in any desired manner. I find it convenient to construct the said holding plates D D so as to project slightly below the center of the pieces 0 C so that by making said pieces of a diameter to fit snugly within said plates, they will be held by frictional engagement therewith one end of each of these semi-cylindrical holding plates D D being provided with a stop 61 adapted to engage with the end of the cylindrical bearing piece 0, so as to prevent it from working out of engagement therewith.

The holding plates are conveniently formed from blanks Dprovided at one end with a suitably shaped projection 01' as illustrated in Fig. 5, these blanks being bent into the described semi-cylindrical shape and said projections d (1 being bent down to form the stops at the ends of the said holding plates. The series of holding plates are secured to the backing or support A in any desired or convenient manner, as by means of rivets d 1 In the form of construction illustrated in Fig. 6, the bearing pieces E E are made of a somewhat different shape from those first described, said bearing pieces E E being provided with indentations or grooves e c in opposite sides and preferably a little above the centers of said pieces, and the holding plates F F are made of a correspondingly difierent shape, being each provided with two inwardly directed flanges f f adapted to engage with said grooves or indentations e e in the bearing pieces E E.

By the construction illustrated in the drawings and hereinbefore described, the bearing pieces 0 O or E E are adapted to be readily removed from the holding plates D D or F F by being slipped out of engagement therewith from theends of said holding plates which are left open the stops at d being arranged at the ends of the holding plates at which the bearing pieces are'most liable to work out.

If desired, one or more of the bearing pieces may be removed and the pad supported in contact with the body of the horse by the remaining bearing pieces, thus enabling the device to be arranged so as to prevent any pressure upon a portion of the skin of the animal which may happen to be in an irritated or sore condition.

By the arrangement of the bearing pieces at suitable distances apart, a free circulation of air is permitted between the saddle or other portion of the harness to which the pad may be applied, and the horses skin, so as to keep the skin cool and comfortable and effectually preventing chafing of the skin and the formation of sores in consequence of said chafing.

Any desired material may be used for forming the bearing pieces instead of rubber, it being only necessary to form them from a material which is sufficiently yielding to prevent undue pressure upon the horses skin, yet possessing sufficient elasticity to return itto its original shape after it has been compressed. If desired also, a coating or covering of felt may be applied to the surfaces of the bearing pieces, or if they are made from rubber, the surface of the rubber may be felted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A harness pad comprising a suitable backing or support adapted for attachment to the harness, a series of separate, independent, rigid holding plates secured to the inner surface of said backing and a series of separate, independently removable bearing pieces in engagement with said holding plates, substantially as described.

2. A harness pad comprising a suitable backing or support adapted for attachment to the harness, and a series of holders secured thereto, having a series of separate independently removable bearing pieces of yielding material inserted therein, substantially as described. r

3. A harness pad comprising a suitable backing or support, and a series of holders secured thereto, having a series of separate independently removable tubular bearing pieces of elastic or yielding material inserted therein, said holders being arranged at slight distances apart, substantially as described.

4. A harness pad comprising a suitable backing or support,a series of holding plates of substantially semi-cylindrical shape secured to the inner surface of said backing and at slight distances apart, and a series of separate, independently removable bearing pieces of substantially cylindrical shape, and

in engagement with said holding plates,substanti-ally as described.

5. A harness pad, comprising a suitable backing or support, means for attaching the same to the desired portion of a harness, a series of separate independent rigid holding plates of substantially semi-cylindrical form, secured at slight distances apart to the inner surface of said backing, and being open at one end and provided with a stop or closure at the other end, and a series of separate independent bearing pieces whose upper portions conform to the contour of said holding plates, and are thereby removably held in engagement therewith substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set myhand, at Milwaukee,in

the county of Milwaukee and State of is-v 

